Newcastle United were left with a major task in their EFL Cup semi-final after a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, as Eddie Howe admitted Rayan Cherki’s late strike felt like a heavy
setback but stressed the tie remained alive before the second leg away from home.
Cherki’s finish in the eighth minute of stoppage time followed Antoine Semenyo’s opener, meaning EFL Cup holders Newcastle travelled back knowing the extra goal greatly increased the pressure, yet Howe insisted Newcastle still believed the deficit could be overturned when the semi-final resumed.
Howe explained that the timing of Cherki’s goal was especially damaging because Newcastle had been pushing forward, and felt the team lost their defensive shape in that phase, but Howe also highlighted the context of the week, with players carrying fatigue from extra time and penalties in the FA Cup victory over Bournemouth three days earlier.
"It's a body blow [conceding last minute], but not fatal at the moment," Howe told Sky Sports. "We're still in there fighting. I think maybe a bit of naivety with a minute to go on the clock, that we're still trying to chase a goal. In that moment, we needed to defend after we got our structure wrong from that position, and we got punished. I think the lads gave everything under difficult circumstances after the extra time on Saturday [in the FA Cup penalty shoot-out win over Bournemouth], and there was a bit of fatigue in our performance, but I can't fault the players. "
Newcastle created enough opportunities at St. James' Park to change the mood of the tie, registering 10 attempts compared with 11 for Manchester City, and striking the frame of the goal twice, yet only three of Newcastle’s efforts tested the goalkeeper, leaving Howe reflecting on narrow margins across both halves.
Yoane Wissa passed up a clear opening after only five minutes when clean through against James Trafford, a situation Howe believed could have altered the entire contest had Wissa scored, as an early breakthrough may have lifted the home crowd while forcing Manchester City to adjust their usual calm approach in possession.
"Looking back with hindsight, you'd say that's potentially a big turning point," he added. "We wanted to get the crowd fully into the match. Manchester City want to do the opposite by retaining the ball and calm the crowd down. Also, it's always that dynamic by the two teams. Yoane's a top player. He's still finding his very best level after a long time injured. Maybe in a couple more weeks, that might've gone in. All I can look at is the effort levels of the players, and I think considering Saturday's efforts that we gave against Bournemouth, that was a great effort from the guys against the worst side that could expose that fatigue. "
Newcastle vs Manchester City EFL Cup semi-final: goals, VAR decisions and key statistics
Semenyo, who moved to Manchester City from Bournemouth only the previous week, scored the first goal and then thought a second had arrived, but VAR intervened after a long review and cancelled the effort for a subjective offside ruling against Erling Haaland, a call that frustrated Newcastle yet kept the scoreline tighter for much of the game.
Data from this season underlined how often Newcastle threatened the woodwork, with only Crystal Palace, on 20 occasions, striking the frame more than Newcastle’s 19 across all competitions among Premier League sides, reinforcing the sense that Newcastle were again inches away from altering the scoreline during this semi-final first leg.
Howe accepted that the late concession left Newcastle needing a major performance in the second leg away from home, however Howe drew encouragement from the commitment shown against Manchester City and from the number of chances created, believing that if energy levels recover and decision-making tightens, Newcastle could still challenge strongly for a place in the EFL Cup final.
